Tim Wellens (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) soloed to a memorable victory at the Clásica Jaén, going clear at the front 54km to score the 42nd victory of his career.
The Belgian had been out front with Mark Donovan (Pinarello-Q36.5) for 10km before he left the Briton behind on the first passage of the Mar de Olivos sector of gravel.
Wellens, who has finished second, third, fourth, and 10th in previous editions of the one-day race, raced out to a lead of 1:30 on the road back to Ubeda, and the efforts of a large chase group couldn't bring him back before the finish.
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The chase group, which numbered 30 riders at one point, split apart on the tough terrain heading towards the line, with a trio surviving to fight for second place.
48 seconds after Wellens crossed the line, it was Tom Pidcock (Pinarello-Q36.5) who sped to second place ahead of Jan Christen (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), while Maxim Van Gils (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) crashed late on to miss the podium.
The fifth edition of the Clásica Jaén would take the peloton on a familiar route in the hills and gravel roads around Ubeda in Andalucía, though at 154km, the route was 15km shorter than the 2025 edition.
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Attacks flew from the off, though with such a high pace being set, there wouldn't be any traditional breakaway going clear in the early kilometres of the race.
Quinten Hermans (Pinarello-Q36.5) and Igor Arrieta (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) managed to briefly break clear with 100km to go, but their move was soon brought back and countered with further attacks as the riders headed towards the first gravel sector of Vandelvira after 80km.
It was on the uphill run to the gravel where the first major move went clear, with 12 riders going on the move. Hermans and Arrieta were there again, as were other major names including Van Gils, Pello Bilbao (Bahrain Victorious), and Marc Soler (UAE Team Emirates-XRG).
That group would only remain in the lead for 10km or so, however. They'd be brought back, but an even larger group would get away just before Vandelvira.
The race splits on the early gravel sectors (Image credit: Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
A split in the peloton on the way up saw 30 riders make it to the head of the race, including a host of major names. Eventual winner Wellens had four teammates in the group, while other notable riders included Hermans, Bilbao, Giulio Pellizzari (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), and Iván Romeo (Movistar).
With 64km to go, Wellens saw a chance to attack and took it, pushing on at the front and taking Donovan with him. The following long Mar de Olivos sector of gravel saw Donovan drop Wellens with 55km to run, but the Belgian wasn't defeated.
He quickly made it back to his breakaway companion and immediately launched an attack of his own. Further back, however, the chase group only grew stronger as several more riders, including Pidcock, made it across.
Wellens soon left Donovan behind (Image credit: Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
Pinarello-Q36.5 set to work for their leader in the chase, but Wellens was able to build a lead of 1:30, which he held with 40km left to run.
With 30km to go, the chasing group split to pieces on the tough Santa Eulalia sector of gravel, which featured a 500-metre section at a 9% gradient. Pidcock and Hermans lead the way with Christen and Gianni Vermeersch (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), but Wellens' teammate managed to block and slow down any potential move.
UAE continued to play the spoiler role in service of the solo leader, managing to help him limit his losses on the run back to the finish. At 30km to go, he still had a minute, and even a near-miss on one of the later gravel sectors with 16km to go couldn't prevent him from staying away.
(Image credit: Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
Pinarello-Q36.5 continued to push, with Pidcock attacking several times, but it was Vermeersch who launched the move which would break apart the chase for good at 9km to go.
Reactions from Pidcock and Van Gils launched the pair clear of the Belgian, while Christen was also along for the ride as the trio closed in on Wellens.
It wasn't to be for the chase group, however, as the 34-year-old could savour his first win of the season in Ubeda.
Dani Ostanek is Senior News Writer at Cyclingnews, having joined in 2017 as a freelance contributor, later being hired full-time. Her favourite races include Strade Bianche, the Tour de France Femmes, Paris-Roubaix, and Tro-Bro Léon.
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